The Golden State Warriors anticipate being without Stephen Curry for a minimum of their next three games in the second-round series against Minnesota, following Wednesday's MRI confirming a minor strain to the standout guard's left hamstring.

The Warriors declared Curry would be sidelined for a minimum of a week following the injury sustained on Tuesday night, which compelled his early departure in the second quarter of Game 1. Despite his absence, they ultimately secured a 99-88 victory. Prior to the injury, Curry had amassed 13 points in 13 minutes, instrumental in Golden State establishing a substantial lead and wresting home-court advantage from the Timberwolves.

Coach Steve Kerr emphasised the annual necessity of adaptation in the playoffs, stating, "Whether it pertains to the game strategy, managing injuries, or adjusting the lineup, we must simply adapt." He added with assurance, "We have navigated these challenges previously and are confident in our ability to do so once more."

The second game is scheduled for Minneapolis on Thursday, prior to the series relocating westward to San Francisco for games three and four on Saturday and Monday respectively. Curry's earliest potential return date seems to be the fifth game on May 14th, which is advantageously followed by a three-day hiatus before the sixth game on May 18th.

Curry has never had a big hamstring injury before, which makes it unclear how long he will be out and if the Warriors can play well enough without the best 3-point shooter in NBA history until he can come back near the end of the series. It would probably be a bad idea for them to count on that, though.

Kerr claimed, "We believe we possess the league's premier defense, a fact substantiated over the past few months."

However, this Golden State roster is notably inferior to those earlier iterations, when Curry and Draymond Green were considerably younger and key players such as Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala were fundamental to their triumphs, having also acquired Kevin Durant by 2018.

Presently, the Warriors were content with the collective effort spearheaded by Jimmy Butler, Buddy Hield, and Green in Game 1, a contest in which Kerr deployed a dozen distinct players.

Without Curry, Butler will handle the ball a lot, like he did on Tuesday. The six-time All-Star, who joined the Warriors from Miami three months ago in a trade that made the team stronger on offense and defense, got 20 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists in Game 1. He scored 20 or more points in four of the five full games he played against Houston in the first round.

"Each player is prepared and eager to contribute significantly to the game," stated Timberwolves guard Mike Conley. "Therefore, one must be even more acutely focused on the contest, their direct opponent, and their typical behaviours. This is because their strategy isn't solely centred on Curry. Naturally, Buddy and Jimmy will exhibit greater assertiveness, but they possess players capable of scoring, and they might attempt to achieve this through unified teamwork."